- 1 year ago
For more than two years serious allegations have been levelled against a senior member of the National Scout Association that triggered an internal investigation and testimonies from the victims.
But despite the findings and recommendations in an internal report to discipline the senior member - his actions have gone unchecked, leaving the National Scout Commissioner Mark Ainsley John with many questions to answer.
In this TV6 Investigation "A Scout's Scrutiny" Investigative Journalist, Mark Bassant reveals some of the troubling issues including sexual allegations.
But despite the findings and recommendations in an internal report to discipline the senior member - his actions have gone unchecked, leaving the National Scout Commissioner Mark Ainsley John with many questions to answer.
In this TV6 Investigation "A Scout's Scrutiny" Investigative Journalist, Mark Bassant reveals some of the troubling issues including sexual allegations.
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NewsTranscript
00:00For 112 years, the National Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago has acted as a beacon
00:16for the young persons in this country.
00:18The association, founded in 1912, has assisted young impressionable minds in personal development
00:24and ensuring that they make a positive contribution to the society.
00:28But over the last two years, a dark cloud has been hanging over the association's image.
00:33In July of 2024, a report was submitted to the National Scout Commissioner surrounding
00:39sexual allegations, impropriety and theft within the association related to a specific
00:46member.
00:47It's been almost seven months since that report has been submitted and many members
00:53are saying there's been no action.
00:55It even forced one scout leader in December 2024 to host a one-man protest outside the
01:01president's house.
01:03But to date, there's still a wait for answers.
01:06Deputy Commissioner of the National Scout Association, Jean Baptiste, had been assigned
01:10to conduct a thorough investigation into the matters that stemmed from a visit by several
01:15scout leaders to Tobago in August 2023.
01:18However, when TV6 News reached out to him about the contents of the report that we received
01:24anonymously, he only verified the authenticity of that report and would divulge nothing further.
01:54The report on the behavior and allegations against this senior member of the association
02:10included the statements from nine male and female members of various scouting groups
02:15along the East-West Corridor and in South Trinidad who were invited to the August 2023
02:20Tobago Independence Day Parade.
02:22All evidence given by the victims for the internal investigation was accompanied with
02:27supporting documents including police receipts and voice recordings allegedly of the senior
02:32member.
02:34The National Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago has close to 8,000 members.
02:38It was during a discussion with a female scout leader in one instance involving the collection
02:43of monies for rental of maxi-taxis and transport in Tobago for the sum of $1,200 that a conversation
02:50allegedly got out of hand.
02:52This is a reenactment of the conversation as told by some of the victims that appears
02:57in the report.
02:58He told me he wanted me to leave my husband home in Trinidad so he and I could spend time
03:03together in Tobago.
03:06This is sexual harassment and it was unbecoming and disrespectful of him.
03:12It was said to me more than once over the phone and in person.
03:17I didn't like that.
03:18I told him no to the statement.
03:22I asked on August the 26th, what is the status with the tickets?
03:27I asked another scout member to accompany me to go get the tickets since the statement
03:32had me concerned for my safety and uncomfortable.
03:38And later when we got onto the boat for Tobago, he told me in my ear, on the boat, and I said
03:44I leaving your husband in Trinidad.
03:48I reported this matter to the police and got a receipt.
03:52My husband came on the later sailing since he had intentionally not bought him a ticket.
04:00Another female scout leader also recalled a similar conversation with the senior member
04:04in a statement.
04:05He had been making sexual advances towards me and it made me uncomfortable.
04:11He told me that the person who I'm with, who's also in the scout association, only had two
04:16inches so he can't please me.
04:19That is when I stopped answering phone calls from him and he later called from another
04:25number since I had blocked him.
04:27The allegations about the senior's behavior towards women in the scout association did
04:32not end there.
04:34Another woman who said she had a purely professional relationship with a senior member recalled
04:38in a statement his inappropriate behavior when they returned from Tobago in August 2023.
04:44At the port in Portisbane, he proposed to me.
04:47He went down on his knees, made a spectacle of himself and it was witnessed by other scout
04:52leaders and the traveling public.
04:54I was in shock and publicly embarrassed.
04:57He then asked me for my phone number.
04:59In referencing the senior member's behavior towards these female scout leaders, Giorgis
05:03in his report said that the senior member's approach to them was, open quote, disrespectful,
05:09and of a negative sexual nature, be it in his connotations, hints, suggestions, words
05:16or action, close quote.
05:18Giorgis noted several police reports were made about the senior member's behavior.
05:23He added that the senior member, open quote, weaponized the issuing of scout warrants as
05:28a means of getting people to submit his totalitarian, dictatorial style of leadership, close quote.
05:35Giorgis added, the senior member has displayed, conduct unbecoming of a scout leader, more
05:40so as a senior member, conduct prejudice to the good order of scouting, conduct against
05:45the very spirit of the scout leadership towards the group or grouping of scouters and by extension,
05:51the National Scout Commissioner and the Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
05:55Outside the allegations of sexual harassment, allegations of financial impropriety and theft
06:01were also reported by several male scout leaders stemming from the trip to Tobago,
06:06where the senior member claimed that he was owed between $9,000 and $11,000 from various
06:11scout leaders for accommodation he claimed to have arranged.
06:15They described his behavior in this matter as, open quote, confusing, very unprofessional,
06:22threatening, abusive, close quote.
06:25One of the male scout leaders recalled lending the senior member a drum mace only to be later
06:29told that he would get his drum mace back when the outstanding monies of more than $9,000
06:34were paid to him.
06:35I was confused as the senior member said before coming to Tobago, the lunch and accommodation
06:41were handled by the THA.
06:43In Giorgis' report in addressing firstly the matter of accommodation and a document
06:47purportedly shown by the senior member to other scout leaders, Giorgis discovered anomalies
06:53during his investigation that the document bore no letterhead of the THA or the hotel
06:59where the Tobago accommodation was done, no letterhead of the Scout Association of
07:03Trinidad and Tobago, no signatures of the hotel owner or the National Scout Commissioner
07:08or the accounting officer of the association.
07:10The document did not bear the Scout Association's stamp or the senior member's signature.
07:16Giorgis said he later spoke to the headquarters commissioner of administration who did not
07:20have any knowledge of the use of the association's stamp on that document.
07:24He did acknowledge producing the document as a favour to the senior member under investigation.
07:30Giorgis also found that the senior member received $1,200 for the maxi-taxis two-way
07:36tickets aboard the inter-island vessel but only spent $400 of that on a one-way ticket.
07:41Giorgis in his report concluded that this senior member sought to defraud another
07:46scout leader of $9,000, produced a fraudulent document using the Scout Association's stamp
07:52without the knowledge of the office or the National Scout Commissioner,
07:55used the stamp in a manner to bring the organization into disrepute,
07:59and he owes two members of the association $800 for the maxi-taxis transport.
08:05In addressing the drum mace issue, Giorgis said the senior member had no right to hold
08:09another scout leader's drum mace as ransom until he was paid the $9,000.
08:15He claims he was owed to him and was in this case bordering on theft of someone else's property.
08:21Giorgis made seven stern recommendations in the conclusion of the report which included
08:27the senior member be immediately suspended from all scouting posts
08:31and activities until the matter is heard, ventilated and put to rest.
08:35It be made clear to the entire association that the senior member is hereby suspended
08:39and has no authorization to conduct activities on behalf of the Scout Association of Trinidad
08:45and Tobago pending an inquiry into his conduct. An internal tribunal set up
08:50the persons making the accusations be allowed to state and further explain their complaints.
08:55The senior member be given an opportunity to face his accusers and respond firstly in writing
09:01and then in person. Failure to present himself to the board on at least two occasions is cause
09:06for the board to take relevant action. Giorgis also indicated in the report that if the Scout
09:10Association's executive does not take the relevant action, he advised the complainants
09:16to follow up the matter with the police. He also indicated that there were other troubling
09:20issues in the organization that warranted an investigation and recommended in the future
09:25instead of one person investigating allegations that there be a three-member team set up.
09:31TV6 News sent several questions to National Scout Commissioner Mark Ainslie John on this matter on
09:37Thursday January 16th and did ask for a response by the following Tuesday. On Thursday January 23rd
09:43Mr. John responded via email stating open quote a preliminary report was submitted however upon
09:49a review and assessment of this report by myself and senior management a determination was made
09:55that further investigations were required to ensure procedural fairness and an equitable and just
10:00outcome for all involved. This investigation is ongoing. He continued the Scout's duty has
10:06established procedures and policies that must be adhered to and in light of the principles of
10:11natural justice and an assessment of the concerns raised the decision regarding the removal of any
10:16officers has not been taken pending the outcome of the investigation. This determination will be
10:22made by me in consultation with an advisory committee made up of senior management within
10:27the movement based on the provisions within the Scout's duty policy guidelines close quote.
10:33Sources inside the association said that the National Scout Commissioner has within his remit
10:39to appoint and to suspend or fine any uniformed leader of the association according to the
10:44constitution and policy rules of the organization and that persons had been suspended in the past.
10:51Sources also indicated that the matter was brought to the attention of the patron of the Scout
10:55Association President Christine Kangaloo and the president's office had written to Mr. John.
11:01We sought to verify this with the president's communications section but this simply stated
11:07your questions are noted. However, it is not advisable for the office of the president to
11:12comment on the contents of any correspondence received or on the response sent if any close
11:19quote. Mark Nassant, TV6 News.
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